Imports of goods and services in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Imports of goods and services was 23.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
23.5%
Change on year
up 1.0%
Rank
41st
of 45 groups
All-time high
31.4%
in 2012
All-time low
5.3%
in 1972
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Imports of goods and services in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), 1960–2025

102030196019922025

Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

South Asia (IDA & IBRD) recorded 23.5% for imports of goods and services in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, imports of goods and services in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 31.4% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 1972.

South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 41st of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Imports of goods and services in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), year by year

Annual values for Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), 1960 to 2025.
Year % of GDP Change
1960 8.2%
1961 7.5% -8.3%
1962 7.4% -0.9%
1963 7.2% -3.4%
1964 7.1% -1.5%
1965 6.6% -6.1%
1966 8.2% +23.0%
1967 7.4% -9.0%
1968 6.4% -13.8%
1969 5.7% -10.9%
1970 5.8% +2.2%
1971 5.6% -4.5%
1972 5.3% -5.6%
1973 6.1% +15.8%
1974 7.5% +23.4%
1975 8.0% +6.1%
1976 8.1% +1.8%
1977 7.6% -6.0%
1978 8.2% +7.1%
1979 9.8% +20.4%
1980 11.2% +13.3%
1981 10.1% -9.0%
1982 9.9% -2.9%
1983 9.4% -4.8%
1984 9.2% -2.3%
1985 9.1% -0.9%
1986 8.3% -8.0%
1987 8.2% -1.2%
1988 8.8% +6.5%
1989 9.5% +7.8%
1990 9.8% +3.6%
1991 10.1% +2.9%
1992 11.1% +10.3%
1993 11.7% +5.3%
1994 12.1% +2.8%
1995 14.1% +16.5%
1996 13.5% -4.0%
1997 13.8% +2.3%
1998 14.4% +4.6%
1999 15.0% +3.8%
2000 15.8% +5.2%
2001 15.3% -3.1%
2002 16.5% +8.2%
2003 16.8% +1.6%
2004 20.4% +21.5%
2005 23.2% +13.6%
2006 25.2% +8.7%
2007 25.6% +1.6%
2008 29.8% +16.3%
2009 26.2% -11.8%
2010 27.0% +3.0%
2011 31.2% +15.6%
2012 31.4% +0.5%
2013 28.6% -8.8%
2014 26.3% -8.1%
2015 22.8% -13.5%
2016 21.0% -7.7%
2017 21.9% +4.3%
2018 23.7% +8.4%
2019 21.4% -9.7%
2020 19.0% -11.4%
2021 23.5% +23.6%
2022 26.2% +11.7%
2023 23.5% -10.4%
2024 23.2% -1.1%
2025 23.5% +1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 7.2% 5.7% 8.2% 10
1970s 7.2% 5.3% 9.8% 10
1980s 9.4% 8.2% 11.2% 10
1990s 12.6% 9.8% 15.0% 10
2000s 21.5% 15.3% 29.8% 10
2010s 25.5% 21.0% 31.4% 10
2020s 23.1% 19.0% 26.2% 6

Countries ranked near South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

  1. 38 Bahrain 70.0% compare
  2. 39 Netherlands 69.5% compare
  3. 40 Lithuania 69.1% compare
  4. 41 Switzerland 69.1% compare
  5. 42 Hungary 68.1% compare
  6. 43 Afghanistan 68.1% compare
  7. 44 Cambodia 67.4% compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More economy & growth data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

All data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD) →

Frequently asked questions

What is imports of goods and services in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
Imports of goods and services in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) was 23.5% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
What is the highest imports of goods and services recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
The highest recorded value was 31.4% in 2012.
What is the lowest imports of goods and services recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 1972.
How does South Asia (IDA & IBRD) rank for imports of goods and services?
South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 41st out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
Is imports of goods and services rising or falling in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Asia (IDA & IBRD) data come from?
The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), published as part of Imports of goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Imports of goods and services in South Asia (IDA & IBRD). Statizoid, drawing on Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/imports-of-goods-and-services-percent-of-gdp/south-asia-ida-and-ibrd/

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About this data

Indicator
Imports of goods and services (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
238 places, 11,455 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.